FORT WORTH, TX—Ryan Walker Grant, 34, of Kennedale, Texas, pleaded guilty today to one count of murder-for-hire, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a three-year term of supervised release. Sentencing is set for December 28, 2012. Grant has been in custody since his arrest on April 2012.

Grant is a co-owner of Flashdancer, a sexually oriented business in Arlington, Texas, that had been the subject of a nuisance lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the City of Arlington, which resulted in the club’s closing. According to documents filed in the case, Grant tried to hire individuals from Mexico, through an intermediary, to kill Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck and Tom Brandt, a Dallas attorney who represents the City of Arlington in cases involving sexually oriented businesses.

On April 3, 2012, Grant handed the intermediary, who was actually a confidential informant, photographs and contact information of the two individuals that he wanted killed. Grant offered to pay $10,000 per murder victim, for a total of $20,000, upon completion of the murders. During the next few days, Grant and the intermediary spoke via cell phones, and during those conversations Grant directed the intermediary to not proceed with the murders until they could meet to discuss the matter further. On April 9, 2012, the intermediary and Grant met at Grant’s residence, where Grant confirmed that he wanted Mayor Cluck killed. The intermediary left Grant’s residence and Grant was arrested shortly thereafter. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Grant’s residence at that time and seized 22 firearms and nearly $150,000 in cash.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Wolfe is in charge of the prosecution.